[alkarich]

WOW! Incredible rig!

[soenke]

Thanks guys,
@1tontoy
we are planing an Amerika trip...with the kayak (Feathercraft) tough , we want to paddel Vancouver Island June/July, but have no fix plans yet about how to get there from Vancouver and where to start....

...and we want to see Utah, best would be to do this with a FJ40 ...don´t know if there are any for hire and how much it would cost...But this is just a wish yet

[joshoisasleep]

So wait, are you bringing the truck AND the kayak to Vancouver Island, or just the kayak??

I'd love to see your truck when you get there!

[soenke]

no, we will be just kayaking the feathercraft.
It is much to expensive for us to bring the car in a container for a short holiday and "roll on roll off" ships are not save enough ....
Hope we manage a round the world trip with our car before we become old and rusty...

[ibinazbass]

dude that thing is frickin sweet! i've never been to this forum and i dont know why lol

bump for interior pics?

[sandcruiser]

beautiful truck
I'm looking outside at my hdt80 right now thinking... hmmm, I'll bet I can buy a 40 and convert the body...

maybe next year, but I do like the idea!

[soenke]

it´s a lot more work then we figured...

this one is about the conversion J4/8
http://forum.ih8mud.com/expedition-b...-cruisers.html

in short:

....The wheelbase of the 80 is shorter then the J45/47, but you have to mount the body more towards the front anyways to fit the radiator and orginal fan under the bonnet. So it will be quite allright with the back. Its about 10 cm difference, I can look it up at home...
If you are building a pick up, adapting the body will be less complicated.

The radiator fits from a HZJ75.
What about your powerstearing? You need the one, wich is not "speed-modulated" and doesn´t need an electric speedsignal. (third world spez.). Then you can use the mechanic speedometer of the J4.
The original airfilter does not fit any more, we used a smaller rallye filter.
The rest is metallwork .......

[nobrks]

I totally love your j4-pickup!

[rideglobally]

what mechanism did you use to lift the top in four places? about how much does it weight? i am building an expedition vehicle now but i have not found a mechanism that is simple and stable. ...... thanks

[soenke]

We bought one hydraulic pump with 4 cylinders and 12V motor.
www.bansbach.de .
Lift is 700mm and 250kg.
The weight of the cabin is about 400kg with furniture, engel box etc.

Using a pop up would have saved about 100kg....but would not be so comfortable in stormy conditions.

I´ll show you some pics as soon as I got the car again here with me...

[rideglobally]

Originally Posted by soenke

We bought one hydraulic pump with 4 cylinders and 12V motor.
www.bansbach.de .
Lift is 700mm and 250kg.
The weight of the cabin is about 400kg with furniture, engel box etc.

Using a pop up would have saved about 100kg....but would not be so comfortable in stormy conditions.

I´ll show you some pics as soon as I got the car again here with me...

thank you, i am on their website now, and would appreciate the picture. it shows on the inquiry form that the max stroke is 400 MM yours 700 MM must be custom made? i assume you are using the ezmotion cylinders, which one did you use E, A, or the Z model? thanks for sharing

[soenke]

got a few more pics from a friend today. Iceland this summer...

smyril line, arriving seydisfjördur


lava roads




and water

[uzj100]

Insane. That is one sweet custom camper cruiser.

[soenke]

thanks,
one more, quite high.....

[metalonmetal]

Originally Posted by soenke

thanks,
one more, quite high.....

this vehicle is pure inspiration.

[alia176]

drooling all over the keyboard....more pics of the inside please...!!!

If you're going to Moab, I'm sure other Landcruiser freaks can drive you around or you can drive their vehicles! I think this is part of our "foreign policy" on this board.

[sandcruiser]

x2 : more interior pictures!!

great rig. I'm already planning to copy it.... some day
Mine will be more suited to warm-weather than cold, but otherwise many similarities

Thanks so much for sharing

[soenke]

Originally Posted by rideglobally

thank you, i am on their website now, and would appreciate the picture. it shows on the inquiry form that the max stroke is 400 MM yours 700 MM must be custom made? i assume you are using the ezmotion cylinders, which one did you use E, A, or the Z model? thanks for sharing

Sorry, answering so late...yes we used the A cylinders custom length up to 700mm was possible. Pump must be adapted. The electronic device was to complicated, now you have to hold on to the switch till its up or down...but so i´ll notice if something is inthe way.

I haven´t forgotten the pics of the inside, car is still in a friends garage...
Sandcruiser, what is the plan?

[sandcruiser]

soenke:

I think that the j4 body on the 80 frame is nearly perfect!

I'd do an hd-t motor with intercooler on an 80 body with 4wd disc brakes and a full-floater rear. Either toyota e-lockers or ARB air lockers, to me they seem equally good.

I would change the camper section to have more ventilation possible, maybe adding a solar-powered fan on top as well (they make them for boats-- very low air flow, but constant flow so that the interior stays fresh). I would also want awnings that extend from the rear and also one side (maybe both).

For now, I'm just planning it. But Some day!!

[millatruse]

Love your truck! It is beautiful and inspiring!

[soenke]

thanks millatruse,

sandcruiser,
the cabin stays fresh , even when it´s hot, due to the white roof and the f/g sandwich and to the
ventilation possibilities: 2 windowas each side and one big sliding window in the front (emergency exit to the drivers seat) and the door in the back. Additional marine hatch in the roof.
So even during hard rain ventilation ist possible.
We love to sit inside, dry and cosy and still be able to hear, smell and watch the weather....the big door is sufficent for our needs, though one opening side would be great too. But it will make the construction weaker.
With a solar ventilator I would be carefull, it is noisy and rain and dust might penetrate....and the ventilation is inefficient, just open hatch or window

We mostly sit out side anyways....


awnings are possible to fix in the rear and both sides. We use this system to fix it (don´t know the english word)

this is sewed to the canvas


this is glued to the rear and both sides


maybe I´ll find a picture of a camp to scan..

[soenke]

[rideglobally]

Originally Posted by soenke

Sorry, answering so late...yes we used the A cylinders custom length up to 700mm was possible. Pump must be adapted. The electronic device was to complicated, now you have to hold on to the switch till its up or down...but so i´ll notice if something is inthe way.

I haven´t forgotten the pics of the inside, car is still in a friends garage...
Sandcruiser, what is the plan?

thank you i am now is in discussion with them, they have a new cylinder called z cylinder that is what i am looking at. i am told it will extend to 612 millimiter (2 feet) i am glad you raised the issue of the electric pump, do you think it is wise to have an electric pump, will it be sufficient to hand crank it? how much time does it take to raise it by hand pumping? i am trying to be as simple as possible on my build less electronic the better.

thank for sharing

[soenke]

it was quite a lot...about 3000. In case of defect of the elektrik motor I will use a 12V drilling machine instead.
We had to use the A cylinders because they dont´t need so much guidance on theire way up...

[soenke]

so got some more pics from a friend ...

engine bay, not cleaned up yet...


reinforced front axel


underneath....


inside drivers cab

[soenke]

by the way I love electrics

[soenke]

so now a few pics from the inside....


with roof down sleeping is uncomfortable but possible


left side with chairs and table for outside, kitchen, cooker for inside....

engel box in a drawer


right side with wardrobe (heatable for drying cloth)

and a smal sink, simple drawer system with boxes to take out quickly


table folded out to build the second part of the bed






underneath the bed boxes


witch can be taken out to reach the bottom....

[soenke]

the hydraulic pump and the motor:
(the cylinders you can see in the pics above in the corners )

[gilghana]

absolutely fabulous

[65swb45]

The amount of thought that was put into the design of the 'camper' is absolutely incredible. Your fabricator is a true artiste, as well as an obvious afficionado of the outdoors.

It sounds like you put a lot of careful thought into your powertrain options as well.

How much of the design was yours, and how much the fabricators?

While the gussets on the front axle look very beefy, you have overlooked one of the weakest points: the transition from the main axle tube to the knuckle ball. This is not usually a problem for those of us running lighter weight rigs and/or smaller tires, but for you I would think it important. Having said that, I will also admit that I managed to break open the factory weld that holds these two pieces together when I was in Moab earlier this year.

There is a company locally called Marlin Crawler that makes a brace to span this area of the axle. It is really just a piece of metal cut and shaped to match the contour of the junction. You could easily fab one up yourself.

Here's a link to a pic of the knuckle brace: http://www.marlincrawler.com/images/karmor_mbig.jpg

I would be priviledged to accompany your rig on ANY expedition in the western US. Please notify me if you're EVER headed this way.

Best

Mark A.